Eagles seek a repeat behind Barkley and Hurts while Mahomes and the Chiefs aim to bounce back

Saquon Barkley, Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles are built for a repeat championship.

Can they do it?

That’s one of the top storylines entering the 2025 season.

Barkley is coming off a record-setting season, Hurts proved doubters wrong and coach Nick Sirianni earned redemption when the Eagles dominated Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, preventing a three-peat to secure the franchise’s second Super Bowl title.

The offense is loaded, a young defense is stacked with talent despite key losses and expectations are high in Philly.

But winning the division will be the first challenge. No team has repeated in the NFC East since the 2001-04 Eagles.

Jayden Daniels led Washington on an amazing turnaround as a rookie, taking the Commanders to the NFC title game. They’ve added playmaker Deebo Samuel, left tackle Laremy Tunsil and resolved wide receiver Terry McLaurin’s contract dispute.

Dak Prescott is back healthy for Dallas, which is led by first-year coach Brian Schottenheimer. But the Cowboys have plenty of drama with star edge rusher Micah Parsons and owner Jerry Jones locked in a stalemate over his contract situation.

Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart is the future for the New York Giants; Russell Wilson is the present. The team has to win enough games to save general manager Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll’s jobs.

The high-octane Detroit Lions are chasing their first Super Bowl appearance after their 15-win season ended with a thud in the playoffs. They’ve got star edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson back to help a defense that was the team’s weakness.

The Minnesota Vikings are trusting J.J. McCarthy to lead the team after Sam Darnold helped them win 14 games last season.

Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers have the pieces on offense to challenge the Lions in the NFC North. Their defense has to step up.

Bears rookie coach Ben Johnson looks to guide Chicago to a winning season. If he can get the most out of Caleb Williams as he did with Jared Goff in Detroit, the Bears will be on their way.

Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers seek not only their fifth straight NFC South title but a deeper run in the playoffs.

The Atlanta Falcons are Michael Penix Jr.’s team with Kirk Cousins serving as a highly paid backup. Running back Bijan Robinson is ready to shoulder the offensive load while Penix settles in.

The Carolina Panthers are aiming to build off late-season success behind energetic coach Dave Canales, who made progress developing Bryce Young.

New coach Kellen Moore is rebuilding the New Orleans Saints.

Matthew Stafford’s back issues are concerning for the reigning NFC West champion Los Angeles Rams, who nearly knocked off the Eagles on a snow-soaked field in the playoffs.

Darnold replaces Geno Smith in Seattle and the Seahawks hope to improve off a 10-win season. The defense creating more turnovers — only 18 last season — would be a big help.

Arizona loaded up on defense in the offseason, adding Super Bowl hero Josh Sweat, Dalvin Tomlinson and 18-year veteran Calais Campbell to bolster the front seven.

Brock Purdy got paid in San Francisco, Christian McCaffrey is healthy and the 49ers are expecting to rebound after a losing season. But the defense lost key players, though Robert Saleh is back as defensive coordinator.

The road through the AFC East goes through Buffalo, which has won the division five straight years since Tom Brady left New England. Anything short of a Super Bowl won’t be considered a success for NFL MVP Josh Allen and the Bills. They’ve been eliminated by the Chiefs four times in the past five seasons.

The Miami Dolphins haven’t won a playoff game since the 2000 season, the longest drought in the NFL. Coach Mike McDaniel and Tua Tagovailoa have a fourth — and maybe final chance together — to snap that streak.

Aaron Glenn is the new man in charge for the New York Jets, who haven’t made the playoffs since the 2010 season. The Jets have some talented players, including Justin Fields, who gets another chance to prove he’s a No. 1 quarterback.

Mike Vrabel is back in New England as a coach this time. He’s looking to restore winning to a once-proud franchise. At least the Patriots seem to have their QB in Drake Maye.

John Harbaugh, Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens are still trying to get to the Super Bowl after falling short again. They have the most balanced roster in a tough AFC North but it all comes down to January.

Aaron Rodgers has teamed with Mike Tomlin to try to get the Pittsburgh Steelers back to winning in the playoffs. DK Metcalf, Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay are among the new faces joining Rodgers in Pittsburgh.

Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals need a better September to get a chance to play in January. The offense is stacked and the defense got a big boost when star edge rusher Trey Hendrickson ended his hold-in.

The quarterback carousel continues in Cleveland with veteran Joe Flacco returning to the Browns. Shedeur Sanders is getting plenty of attention, though fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel outplayed him in the preseason. The one man the Browns can count on is game-wrecking edge rusher Myles Garrett.

C.J. Stroud has a revamped offensive line trying to protect him in Houston. A talented defense led by Will Anderson and All-Pro Derek Stingley Jr. should help keep the Texans on top of the AFC South.

Daniel Jones — not Anthony Richardson — gets the first chance to lead Indianapolis. The Colts are playing this season for late owner Jim Irsay.

If new coach Liam Coen can improve Trevor Lawrence’s game the way he did with Mayfield in Tampa Bay, the Jacksonville Jaguars could be back on track. They have possibly the most exciting player in the league in two-way rookie Travis Hunter.

The Tennessee Titans are hoping No. 1 overall pick Cameron Ward is the answer. His development is the team’s top priority this season.

The Chiefs have owned the AFC West since 2016. They’ve reached the conference championship in each of their seven seasons with Mahomes. A fourth Super Bowl title for Andy Reid, Mahomes and Travis Kelce is the goal. How do they respond after a lopsided loss to the Eagles?

Jim Harbaugh led the Los Angeles Chargers to the playoffs in his first season. Getting past the Chiefs is the challenge. Losing left tackle Rashawn Slater for the season was a big setback.

Bo Nix helped turn the Denver Broncos into a playoff team in his rookie season. With AP Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain II leading the secondary, Sean Payton’s squad also takes aim at the Chiefs.

Pete Carroll is back on the sideline in Las Vegas, looking to turn a four-win team into a contender.

The first of 272 regular-season games features the Cowboys vs. Eagles on Sept. 4. The Chargers and Chiefs face off in Brazil the next night, one of seven games that’ll be played on international soil.

All of it leads to Super Bowl 60 in Santa Clara, Calif. on Feb. 8.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) reacts on the sideline during the second half of an NFL preseason football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Friday, Aug. 15, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes cheers from the sidelines during the second half of a preseason NFL football game against the Chicago Bears Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts watches from the sideline in the second half of a preseason NFL football game against the New York Jets in East Rutherford, N.J., Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin)

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley reacts in the second half of a preseason NFL football game against the New York Jets in East Rutherford, N.J., Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin)

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Police in Ohio's capital city said Wednesday that they have gathered enough evidence to link a man charged in the double homicide of his ex-wife and her husband in their Columbus home last month to the killings.

Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant said in an Associated Press interview that authorities now believe Michael David McKee, 39, a vascular surgeon who was living in Chicago, was the person seen walking down a dark alley near Monique and Spencer Tepe's home in video footage from the night of the murders. His vehicle has also been identified traveling near the house, and a firearm found in his Illinois residence also traced to evidence at the scene, she said.

An attorney representing McKee could not be identified through court listings.

His arrest Saturday capped off nearly two weeks of speculation surrounding the mysterious killings that attracted national attention. No obvious signs of forced entry were found at the Tepes’ home. Police also said no weapon was found there, and murder-suicide was not suspected. Further, nothing was stolen, and the couple’s two young children and their dog were left unharmed in the home.

“What we can tell you is that we have evidence linking the vehicle that he was driving to the crime scene. We also have evidence of him coming and going in that particular vehicle,” Bryant told the AP. “What I can also share with you is that there were multiple firearms taken from the property of McKee, and one of those firearms did match preliminarily from a NIBIN (ballistic) hit back to this actual homicide.”

Bryant said that the department wants the public to keep the tips coming. Investigators were able to follow up on every phone call, email and private tip shared from the community to the department and some of that information allowed them to gather enough evidence to make an arrest, she said.

That work culminated in the apprehension of McKee in Rockford, Illinois, where the hospital where he worked — OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center — has said it is cooperating with the investigation. He has been charged with premeditated aggravated murder in the shooting deaths. Monique Tepe, who divorced McKee in 2017, was 39. Her husband, a dentist whose absence from work that morning prompted the first call to police, was 37.

McKee waived his right to an extradition hearing on Monday during an appearance in the 17th Judicial Circuit Court in Winnebago County, Illinois, where he remains in jail. Bryant said officials are working out details of his return to Ohio, with no exact arrival date set. His next hearing in Winnebago County is scheduled for Jan. 23.

Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said Wednesday that the city doesn't prioritize high-profile cases any more than others, noting that the city's closure rate on criminal cases exceeds the national average. The city also celebrated in 2025 its lowest level of homicides and violent crime since 2007, Ginther said.

“Every case matters. Ones that receive national attention, and those that don’t,” he told the AP. “Every family deserves closure and for folks to be held accountable, and the rest of the community deserves to be safe when dangerous people are taken off the street.”

Ginther said it is vital for central Ohioans to continue to grieve with the Tepes' family, which includes two young children, and loved ones, as they cope with “such an unimaginable loss.”

“I want our community to wrap our arms around this family and these children for years to come,” he said.

This undated booking photo provided by the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, shows Michael David McKee, who was charged in the killing of his ex-wife, Monique Tepe, and her husband Spencer Tepe at their Columbus, Ohio, home on Dec. 30, 2025. (Winnebago County Sheriff's Office via AP)

Spencer and Monique Tepe's home in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Aftoora-Orsagos)

This image taken from video shows Michael David McKee walking into the courtroom on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Rockford, Ill. (WIFR News/Pool Photo via AP)